Befriending the Enemy
by lauriekate
Summary: Somebody Fic This Prompt: Jesse St. James, the coach of Vocal Adrenaline, assigns Quinn, his star performer, to "befriend" - that's the word he used - the star of New Directions, Rachel Berry. Quinn decides to take one for the team, and promises she won't fall in love in her. It wasn't as easy as she thought... limadesigns . tumblr . com/post/26463620225
1. Chapter 1

_A.N. Just realized there were some formatting issues. Sorry first fic, still working out the kinks._

Chapter One

Nothing about this particular Thursday afternoon in the Carmel High auditorium stood out in Quinn's memory when she would look back over the next few weeks. She had attended the same classes she did every Thursday earlier in the day.

After the final bell rang she rushed to her locker to ditch her books and grab the duffle bag that held a change of clothes for show choir practice that afternoon. It was a choreography day and the pale yellow dress and ballet flats she had worn all day for classes was not ideal for the high intensity dance routine her coach Jesse St James had them working on for Regionals.

Jesse had taken over Vocal Adrenaline that fall after Shelby left to spend more time with her one year old daughter. Quinn was still a little wary of the new coach and his, so far, unorthodox methods but she was still cast in all of the good solos and therefore couldn't see the benefit in voicing any of those concerns.

The 'bang' of her locker closing when she swung the door a little harder than intended shook Quinn out of her thoughts and she hurried off to the dressing rooms to prepare for rehearsal. Arriving late was not a practice that would keep those solos directed her way. There were at least four other girls that would leap at any false step Quinn made to steal the hard earned spotlight from her.

Rehearsal had been difficult that day, but that was to be expected by anyone on the team. In fact, Quinn took a certain amount of satisfaction in working so hard. It made all of the benefits she reaped from being a lead on a nationally ranked show choir team seem deserved, and at Carmel High those benefits were unsurpassed. Vocal Adrenaline literally ruled the school. They were the top of the social ladder where typically the football players and cheerleaders would be at any other school in Ohio.

Just as Quinn was preparing to leave for the parking lot with her two best friends and teammates, Santana and Brittany, Jesse called her name from his office just outside of the auditorium.

"Uh oh" Brittany whispered in a nervous tone when they all froze. Santana just exhibited her typical reaction to, well anything, and rolled her eyes in an exaggerated fashion – careful to keep the action out of their coach's sight though – Santana was bitchy but not stupid.

"You guys can go ahead without me. I'm sure I won't be long," Quinn instructed, anticipating the offer that was about to come.

"Alright Q but call and tell us what Baby Stalin wanted. Britts and I will be at my place."

With a final wave Quinn turned on her heal and headed back in the direction of the office, eager to get whatever chat she was headed into over with. It was late; practice didn't typically run this late when they weren't doing final run-throughs for a competition. Fortunately Sectionals had been the weekend before and they wouldn't start 6 hour rehearsals again for another month or so.

She slipped through the open door to Jesse's office.

Without so much as looking up from the open laptop on his desk, Jesse addressed her,

"Shut the door and take a seat Quinn". Sitting meant this was going to take longer than she had hoped but she complied.

"We have a problem" he began, "While we were busy crushing that girl's delinquent school this weekend, I had my scouts out keeping an eye on our competition. It seems that the New Directions isn't quite the joke of a choir as they were last year. Apparently Schuester finally stopped mooning over that doe-eyed guidance counselor long enough to do a little coaching."

Quinn followed along only nodding when appropriate.

"Actually what is more likely is that the team took the coaching responsibilities on themselves since Will couldn't lead a Boy Scout troop across a street. Regardless, we can't risk them harnessing theat underdog persona and using it against us."

With one fluid and precise motion Jesse spun the laptop around to face Quinn and turned up the volume. On the screen was a short brunette in a black and white dress. Despite her small stature the voice that flowed from her lips was powerful enough to make Quinn gasp.

"My thoughts exactly," Jesse continued. "Rachel Berry is the one person in all of Ohio that could derail Vocal Adrenaline from a record 9th national title. And I'm making it your job to make sure that doesn't happen."


	2. Chapter 2

_A.N. Just realized there were some formatting issues. Sorry first fic, still working out the kinks._

Chapter Two

Santana's phone rang three times, then four, then finally it was cut off with a curt "What?" right before the call was kicked over to voicemail. Santana sounded more annoyed than normal which immediately put Quinn on the defensive.

"You told me to call you, remember?" she barked back.

Santana may have been her best friend but the two girls frequently felt more like rivals. If something where to happen to Quinn and she could no longer be the star of Vocal Adrenaline, Santana's immediate reactions would be rejoicing, gloating, and then finally concern for Quinn.

Santana had never been shy about telling Quinn that the only reason she won out in the competition for solos was her Grace Kelly looks and demeanor, but Quinn knew that Santana wasn't willing to make the personal sacrifices necessary to be the lead in Vocal Adrenaline. Kissing Shelby's ass wasn't something Santana had ever been willing to do and it became even less likely with Jesse now in charge; for that Quinn was silently grateful.

"Oh yeah, how did your little pow-wow with Jesse St Jag-Off go anyway? Any chance he is taking his sorry ass out of Akron and Shelby is coming back?"

Santana finally sounded like she wasn't ready to rip Quinn apart with her teeth.

"Is that Quinn?" she heard Brittany chirp excitedly in the background, followed by "What did you do with my shirt San?" Choosing to ignore the rather interesting conversation going on between the two, Quinn focused on the matter at hand.

"Haha, no unfortunately not. He's worried about our chances of winning this year so he wants me befriend the star of New Directions." Quinn made air quotes when she said 'befriend' even though Santana and Brittany couldn't see them.

"What does that even mean?"

"To be honest, I'm not really sure. Apparently she is some loner outcast at McKinley High and Jesse thinks that getting close to her will be easy, and we can use that it to our advantage later. Like somehow she'll choke competing against a friend… or _something_." Quinn emphasized the last word hoping that Santana will pick up on where she – or actually Jesse – was going with this whole plan.

Santana just huffed her disgust. "Really that has got to be the dumbest plan I've ever heard. First off, we are Vocal Adrenaline; we will crush those Lima losers if they even make it past Regionals. And secondly, buddying up to one of their members isn't going to do anything. If he had half a brain in that tin head of his, he would have us slashing their tires or egging their houses, _or_ you know what would be awesome, if we - ."

Realizing this tangent would just continue with more and more outrageous plans that would mostly likely lead to jail time, Quinn cut off Santana's scheming. "I think he wants me to seduce her," she spit out willing her voice to sound indifferent, like the HBIC everyone knew her to be.

For a few long seconds the line went completely silent and Quinn checked to ensure the call hadn't dropped. And then she heard Santana burst into hysterical laughter, gasping for breath when she still hadn't stopped after a full 5 minutes.

"Oh that's priceless Q. What on earth makes him think you know anything about seducing a girl! This is even more terrible of a plan than I originally thought. I mean if that's what he wanted he should have sent in Britts, she could seduce the pants off a shrub." Santana continued to snicker to herself.

"Score" Brittany added in the background.

Suddenly annoyed that Santana would outright doubt her prowess at getting anyone, boy or girl, she growled into the phone, "Watch yourself Lopez. I'll have you know most people would kill to date me."

"Listen, I'm not doubting you are a hot piece-of-ass" – Quinn scoffed at the term – "but when have you even looked at a girl let alone tried to flirt with one?" When Quinn took too long to respond Santana continued, "Listen when you fall on your face and need some help, Brittany and I are here for ya. You know Unholy Trinity and all that shit."

"Please, I'm the female lead of Vocal Adrenaline, I don't need help. Though I greatly appreciate your most gracious and sincere offer," Quinn replied curtly, sarcasm dripping from her voice as she finished. She hit the 'End Call' button quickly before Santana had the opportunity to get in any further laughs at her expense.

* * *

Quinn paced her bedroom after she hung up, waiting for some of her anger to dissipate. Santana's words continued to dance through her mind taunting her. Quinn really hadn't actually ever considered girls in that way. That didn't mean she wouldn't succeed though. She was Quinn effing Fabray. If she wanted someone, she got them, end of story. She just needed a plan.

Flipping open her laptop and sitting at her desk Quinn started plotting. If reading Sun Tzu this year in AP English had taught her anything it was that she needed to know her enemy, and Google was the perfect tool. Fortunately Rachel Berry made things easy for her there, she had a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a YouTube channel and a MySpace account (did anyone still use that thing?). Rachel's YouTube channel had more videos than Quinn figured she could get through in a lifetime, and it was already late, so she switched over to Facebook.

Most of her Wall was filled with links to her videos, with the occasional smattering of pictures of Rachel with two older men (her Info page told Quinn these were Rachel's dads). '_Well that was a good start'_, Quinn thought; _'at least she wouldn't be freaked out by the idea of same sex dating'._ Another good sign was her Info listed her as single (no real surprise there), but she had also put herself as interested in men. Not one to be that easily deterred, Quinn clicked on.

Her interests consisted mostly of Broadway shows and related topics with Funny Girl and Wicked seeming to win out as her favorites. Though what caught Quinn's attention the most was her Friends list. It was short, probably the shorted she had ever seen. Quinn's own page had hundreds of friends, mostly classmates that just wanted to say they knew _the _Quinn Fabray, but still. What made it even more sad was that Quinn was sure the few friends she saw were also in the video Jesse had shown her that day of New Directions.

Not sure if she was more relieved or depressed by the information she had turned up thus far, Quinn decided to watch a YouTube video before she called it quits on her research for the night. She had only seen a snippet in Jesse's office and considering the sheer quantity that Rachel had up, Quinn decided to try and focus on the ones Rachel would most likely be proud of, note some details that she could drop into conversations, and use flattery paired up with the Fabray charm to get the girl.

Remembering the numerous Funny Girl references on Rachel's Facebook page, Quinn decided a good start would be Don't Rain on My Parade which appeared to be from last year's Sectionals competition. Watching Rachel perform in the privacy of her bedroom, without Jesse studying her every move and reaction – especially knowing what she was now planning – seemed like a weird violation of privacy to Quinn, but she could not for the life of her tear her eyes away from the screen.

From a purely objective standpoint Rachel was an excellent performer. Her breath control and range made Quinn more jealous than she would ever admit, and she was pitch perfect note for note. There was something else though; something Quinn couldn't quite put her finger on. But she found herself wondering how it was that Rachel had turned out to be the loser she evidently was, as she got ready for bed. Had she gone to Carmel, Rachel would have mostly likely been just as popular as Quinn, maybe more so, and she definitely would have been the star of Vocal Adrenaline instead of Quinn. Shuddering at the thought, she climbed under the covers ready to put an end to one crazy day.


	3. Chapter 3

_A.N. Just realized there were some formatting issues. Sorry first fic, still working out the kinks._

Chapter Three

Friday morning Quinn woke up feeling disoriented and unsettled. Her night had been filled with restless sleep and haunting dreams. Determined to put it out of her mind and not let it get to her, she hurried through her morning routine sweeping by her mother on her way out the door.

Classes turned out to be a good distraction, that is, until she passed Jesse in the halls between 3rd and 4th periods just before she headed through the door for Pre-Calculus. Not one to usually even acknowledge the existence of students in the halls – unless he was yelling at them for some ridiculous offense – Quinn knew immediately what was on his mind when he locked eyes with her and gave a deliberate nod of his head. '_So much for putting it out of your mind,' _she thought with a sigh.

The rest of the day, Quinn's focus wavered from the topics her teachers were covering to how she was going to get a complete stranger, a girl, a most likely straight girl, to fall for her. Her usually meticulous notes were sporadic and fragmented, as the margins of her notebooks filled with information about Rachel she had gathered so far and ideas on how to proceed next.

Quinn shuffled along as she made her way to 8th period, in stark contrast to how she usually strutted down the halls with her head held high, too busy to be bothered by the other students hoping to get her attention. Slowly Quinn came to the realization that she didn't actually know much about seducing someone; getting dates was not something she typically had to make any effort at. Half the student body threw themselves at her on a regular basis. The few lucky ones that had over the years succeeded at the task, were rewarded on their dates with an attitude that ranked just barely above indifference and promptly disregarded a few weeks later with the excuse that Vocal Adrenaline didn't leave much time for steady boyfriends.

Starting to feel vastly unprepared and on the brink of taking Santana up on her offer for advise, she glanced up just in time to see three football players in their Carmel High jerseys high-fiving on their way to what Quinn was sure was Remedial Math.

'_I wonder what the odds are McKinley made it into playoffs?' _Quinn wondered. Not one to typically pay much attention anything football related, Quinn snuck into the library and took a seat at the nearest empty computer she could find. It only took a few quick searches to discover that in a stunning turn of events the McKinley High Titans had just finished their first winning regular season in 10 years. All credit was given to the new Head Coach, a women – Quinn could appreciate the achievement in that – but she skimmed past most of that to find their post-season schedule on the Titan Athletics' website.

McKinley would be playing the Solon Comets tonight. For a brief second Quinn thought the fates might be smiling on her, and that she might be able to save herself two hours of driving, each way, but the game was in Lima. Presuming there was less of a chance Rachel would be at the game if it was in Solon and this whole idea would be for naught, Quinn decided it was a good sign and quickly logged off to make her way to class, which she was now ten minutes late for (not that Quinn Fabray was ever written up for tardiness).

European History never went so fast as Quinn sat, leg bouncing in her seat, solidifying the details of her plan. She spent a good ten minutes debating asking Brittany and Santana or even Kurt Hummel (another Vocal Adrenaline teammate) to go with her, but finally concluded a group of them would only attract attention. Quinn wanted to observe undetected and Kurt, Santana and Brittany all had the uncanny ability to cause a scene everywhere they went.

* * *

A little over two hours later Quinn was on the interstate in her Volkswagen Beetle, more nervous than she had ever been. Performing a solo in front of thousands of people had never given her as many butterflies in her stomach, and they seemed to be breading and multiplying with each passing minute. After anxiously flipping through about twenty songs on her iPod and still not being able to settled on one, she realized how un-Quinn-like her behavior was.

"Pull yourself together Fabray. Honestly, this Rachel Berry should be the nervous one. No one has ever turned down Lucy Quinn Fabray and today is not going to be that day," she tried to convince herself. She was always able to psych herself up for competitions so a little pep talk and some deep breaths later, she was back in her famous HBIC/National Champion Soloist mode.

* * *

Quinn arrived at the stadium with plenty of time to try to scope out a seat that afforded her an excellent view of the McKinley fans and sat down trying her best to blend it. It seemed that the all of Lima was in attendance given the recent winning streak and Quinn began to worry she wouldn't be able to find any single person amongst the crowds.

Half way through the first quarter, after scanning the fans in red and white a third time, Quinn's realized there was a reason she had never attended a Carmel High football game; the game held absolutely no interest to her what-so-ever. The most interesting thing, she thought, were the cheerleaders performing flips and twists through the air on the sidelines. Certain no one in the stands was paying any attention to her, she pulled her copy of Pride and Prejudice out of her bag and began to read the familiar words of Jane Austen.

As the clock was ticking down the last seconds of the second quarter, Quinn decided if she was going to make this mini road trip worth it she was going to have to make more of an effort to find her target. Grateful she picked a seat on the end of an aisle, she started to make her way down the stairs, careful to scan every face as subtly as possible as she went. She had reached the third row from the bottom when her eyes were drawn to a brown haired girl with two pig tails, a McKinley Football t-shirt on and shaking a red and white plastic pom-pom animatedly in her hand. Quinn knew the face instantly as the one that had shown up in every one of her dreams the night before. _ 'Jackpot!'_

Careful not to stop and stare too long, Quinn continued her journey onto the track and behind the bleachers to where the concession stands were located. She quickly located the perfect spot to see Rachel, if she decided to also leave her seat during half-time, one that also provided some cover to remain unnoticed if desired.

Right on cue, after the buzzer announced the end of the half, her target came bounding around the corner of the bleachers and headed straight into Quinn's line of sight. The same inability to look away she experienced the night before grabbed ahold of Quinn, despite her overwhelming desire to remain undetected for now. Reminding herself that she was on a reconnaissance mission, Quinn tried to focus on attributes about Rachel that would help her later.

For starters she seemed to be alone. Quinn hadn't noticed Rachel's fathers sitting with her in the stands and even now she didn't appear to be coming from her seat with anyone. She also appeared slightly shorter now that she was surrounded by people, than she had in the video of Sectionals on stage by herself. Losing her in the crowd became a very real possibility.

Something that _was_ consistent with her performance though was the seemingly endless supply of energy that Rachel possessed; it practically oozed from her very being. Quinn was stunned that someone like that didn't draw the attention of every person she passed. How could they carry on without even a glance in her direction?

Sidetracked by her analysis, she didn't notice that Rachel had disappeared behind a few taller high school boys. When she looked up and couldn't immediately zero in on her position she started to get nervous. Not quite sure she was willing to leave her hiding place but even more unwilling to fail so quickly at the reason for her trip, Quinn stepped out from the shadow of the building she had been using for cover and began to snake her way through the throngs of people now out of their seats. It rapidly became apparent that Quinn's lack of significant height tied with Rachel's was not going to make things easy. _'Shit.'_

Rounding a corner that would lead to the ladies room according to a sign painted on the side of a building, a very distracted Quinn ran smack into another body, knocking the other person over and nearly losing her balance too. Flustered beyond belief at how things were turning out Quinn gushed out some apologies, exhibiting manners that were engrained from an early age courtesy of a Fabray upbringing. She was just about to rush off when the offending body finally righted itself directly in her path.

"Its quite alright. You would be surprised at how often people run into me. I'm not sure if its due to my height limitations or malicious in intent though. You see I'm not the most popular of people and have been on the receiving end of a slushy facial at least once a week since I started here. I'm sorry, how rude of me. I don't believe I've seen you at school before. My name is Rachel." [beat] "And yours is?"

During what Quinn could only describe as a 'speech and a half' she kept her eyes moving, scanning the crowd of people for her missing mark, only catching bits and pieces of what she was sure was _very interesting_ information. But Quinn realized the stranger had stopped talking and tried to place the last thing that was said. Was it a question? She couldn't be sure.

Reluctantly pausing her search, Quinn looked down and noticed an outstretched hand. She followed the hand up a feminine arm, continuing on until it finally occurred to her she was standing eye to eye with the very person she had been looking for, New Directions star Rachel Berry.

"Umm. Oh. Yeah. Sorry. Quinn. Umm. I'm Quinn, " she stuttered out, unsure of what to do; this turn of events was not at all a part of her extensive planning during the car ride over. She hesitantly took the offered hand and shook it before quickly releasing it when she became aware she was starting to flush.

"Quinn, what a lovely name. I've always wished my fathers could have been a little more creative when naming me, but they were huge Friends fans. Were you headed to the Ladies Room too?"

The sheer volume of words that continued to leave Rachel's mouth left Quinn reeling.

"Ladies Room? Oh yeah. Umm… too much water." Quinn blushed again at her sudden inability to articulate a single complete sentence.

Rachel led the way to the Entrance continuing to talk without hardly a breath as Quinn followed in tow.

"So do you go to Solon?" Quinn registered another question had been addressed to her, interrupting the mental berating she had been giving herself.

"No I don't. I'm from out of town and just here with some friends." – _'Yes complete sentences. Finally! And a good lie. You have got to snap out of this Fabray Its just not right.'_

"Really? Well that explains why I don't recognize you. I have an uncanny knack for faces. And I am sure I would have remembered you if you were from around Lima."

The seconds ticked by as Quinn racked her brain for all the things she had planned to ask when the perfect opportunity to talk to Rachel presented itself. But her brain seemed to be on some sort of delay like she had used up all the processing power with other tasks.

And then reboot!

"So Rachel, since you don't seem to be a cheerleader or in the band, what do you do? We have a pretty extensive selection of clubs at my school. How about McKinley?" Quinn mentally applauded herself as she seemed to finally kick start her brain into working, even if her question seemed out of nowhere.

"Oh there is a decent availability of clubs here too. I'm actually a member of six clubs. Of course my favorite is Glee Club. Oh my turn," Rachel stated as her turn came up and she rushed off to a stall right when Quinn had the conversation going how she wanted.

Quinn exited her stall a few minutes later and saw Rachel drying her hands near the door. As Quinn approached the faucet as close to Rachel as she could get, the other girl turned towards her.

"Well it was really nice chatting with you Quinn. I sincerely hope you enjoy the rest of the game with your friends, even though it looks as though the Comets won't be leaving with the win."

And with that Rachel swiftly exited the bathroom. And Quinn was left staring at her reflection in the mirror bewildered by what had just transpired.

* * *

After halftime Quinn positioned herself much closer to Rachel – but still a safe distance behind to ensure she didn't end up in a situation with no fictional friends to introduce. The football game and her book went ignored as she reveled in the opportunity to study her prey live and in person, more thoroughly and without the issue of having to form coherent sentences.

However with just minutes left until the end of the game Rachel abruptly gathered her belongings and started to climb down the bleachers. Quinn attempted to follow at a distance that did not scream _stalker_ but lost sight of the other girl again.

With Rachel gone she had no desire to watch the rest of the game and promptly made her way to the parking lot to go home.

During the long drive Quinn had ample time to analyze the evening and her observations. Jesse had been right about Rachel being a loner. Quinn would and could never attend a school event by herself at Carmel. If she wasn't with Santana and Brittany she would be surrounded by either her other teammates or the regular supply of guys and girls all trying to leach off of her popularity. Sadly Rachel had seemed so desperate to talk to _anyone_ that Quinn concluded all she needed to do was get her alone – not an issue – and she would have it easy.

The only thing that seemed like it could get in the way of total success was her _definitely unplanned_ failure to speak articulately in Rachel's presence. Quinn dwelled on this disturbing development for most of the ride home; it just was not acceptable.

She was able to calm her worries finally, blaming lack of proper planning and nothing more and decided the only solution was to remain in complete control all of interactions between the two from here on out. That was something she was more than comfortable with.


	4. Chapter 4

_A.N. Just realized there were some formatting issues. Sorry first fic, still working out the kinks._

Chapter Four

The rest of the weekend flew by for Quinn as she spent most of her time trying to catch up on the homework she had neglected with all of her plotting and the road trip to Lima, and by Monday things seemed almost back to normal. _Almost_ being the key word. No matter how hard she tried, Quinn could not seem to get Rachel Berry out of her mind.

She chalked it up to the fact that every time she saw Jesse and had nothing to report he appeared increasingly unsure of her commitment to Vocal Adrenaline which in turn made her all the more nervous of her continued standing as lead.

Each night before going to sleep she would check Rachel's Facebook page for any information she could use on how to proceed and watch a video or two from her YouTube channel, which seemed to be leading to a larger and larger percentage of her dreams staring a certain brunette.

By the following Friday Quinn could not take the look of disappointment Jesse directed at her any longer; she had to make some progress.

* * *

She got up early that Saturday morning and with not much more than an "I won't be home till late," to her mother, she set off for Lima again determination apparent in every feature.

The two and a half hour drive had done nothing to dissuade her attitude. In fact as she tapped the steering wheel along with the music flowing from her iPod she became increasingly certain of her success. On the seat beside her was a list, created the night before, of all the places in town Quinn planned to scope out. At the top of her list were the Lima Bean and Groman's Music which Quinn had pulled off of Rachel's Facebook Likes and a local book store.

Parking on one of the main streets in town, Quinn passed the bookstore first and unable to resist the smell of new books and coffee, decided that was as good a place as any to start. Sixty minutes and a soy latte later Quinn emerged, a tote full of books and a new Moleskine under her arm but without so much as a Rachel look-a-like sighting.

Further down the street was a quaint looking park with a bench that faced the street. Quinn sat for a few minutes while she debated where to stop next. Realizing she was starting to get hungry she decided to make her way to the Lima Bean where she could eat something and appear to be reading while keeping her eye out for Rachel.

One helpful side effect of the daily high intensity dance rehearsals Jesse made them endure was that Quinn could eat pretty much anything these days without having to worry about putting on weight. Before she would have suffered from hours of ingrained guilt over ordering a croissant and another coffee but she felt none of that as she relaxed at a corner table and took out a book.

Quinn had already reached the second chapter when she heard a voice that made her head snap up so fast she nearly gave herself whiplash. Rachel had just walked through the door talking away and gesturing energetically to a gentleman Quinn immediately recognized as one of her dads. She realized a little late the grin that had spread across her face probably was out of the ordinary for seeing someone she had only met once before, and quelled it.

Rachel and her father placed their drink order and Quinn saw her first and possibly _only_ opening when Rachel stepped down the line to gather their drinks while her father stayed at the register to pay. Abandoning her table and belongings Quinn sidled up to the other girl, careful to remain undetected.

"So you never gave me the opportunity to make it up to you for knocking you over so rudely at the football game you know," Quinn stated with every ounce of confidence she could gather.

The slight jump Rachel made at the shock of being spoken to, threatened to bring the grin back to Quinn's face. She somehow managed to turn it into more of a sly smirk just as Rachel turned to face her.

"Oh my, I didn't see you there. How nice to see you again… Quinn."

"Nice to see you too, Rachel. Although I must say this is quite the coincidence." Quinn's smirk just increased at the lie.

"Yes indeed. I didn't realize you spent so much time in Lima. Are you visiting with your friends again this weekend?"

"Mhmm. So what do you say? I have some free time on my hands, and I think running into you again is a sign I need to do something to apologize for bowling you over."

"That is very kind but I assure you it is not required. As you can see, no permanent damage was done."

"Rachel if I didn't know any better, I would think you didn't want me to make it up to you." Quinn watched the blush spread rapidly across Rachel's face and elated at the response.

Just as Quinn thought she might have the situation right where she wanted it, Rachel's father approached them with the long forgotten drink order in his hands.

"Rachel did you forgot we had already ordered?" He asked as he handed the drink over to his daughter. The increased redness in Rachel's cheeks did not go unnoticed by Quinn. "And were you planning on introducing me to your friend or do I have to do that myself too?"

"Sorry. Dad, this is Quinn. She is visiting some friends from out of town."

"Quinn, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Hiram Berry," he said as he held out his hand for Quinn to shake.

"Its nice to meet you too sir. I was just trying to convince your daughter to let me do something to make it up to her for almost severely injuring her last weekend, accidentally of course." Quinn put on her most sincere and winning smile as she spoke.

Quinn's perfect manners had always aided her in charming adults quickly in the past and they seemed to be working in her favor yet again.

"Rachel, I hope you weren't turning down such a nice offer," Hiram cautioned his daughter.

"No, of course not. I was just about to explain to Quinn that while that was very nice, however unnecessary, of her that you and I had plans to spend the afternoon together."

"Actually sweetheart, I'm sorry to do this to you but I may have to postpone our plans. It seems I have to go into the office for a little while today."

Even though Quinn had just met the man seconds before she couldn't help but think there actually was no work that needed done. Not giving Rachel the chance to come up with another excuse she jumped at the opening.

"That settles it then. You now have some time to kill and I owe you, well… something. So you get to pick what we do."

"Well since it appears I'm not needed here anymore, I guess I'll just head out and then off to work," Hiram chimed in. "You girls have fun and Quinn, it was very nice to meet you again." Rachel's father waved his goodbyes and was out the door before Rachel could protest.

Quinn was suddenly very aware of the fact that she was alone with Rachel – well as alone as two people can be in a coffee shop – and was supposed to be impressing her.

"So… do you want to sit down? Or we could leave if you don't want to sit."

"Sitting sounds good to me."

Quinn directed Rachel over to the table she had abandoned earlier but once seated she couldn't think of much to do other than fiddle with her most likely cold drink and stare at her hands. Realizing how terribly off-course things had gone and her resolution to stay in control of the situation going forward, Quinn cleared her throat and tried to start again.

"Um… so I think last time you had mentioned something about being in a Glee Club? Is that right?"

Rachel took a sip of her drink and nodded.

"Well I heard there was a decent music store not far from here that I wanted to check out, that is if you would be interested in joining me."

The other girl perked up a little at the mention of the music store.

"Yes Groman's. They have an excellent collection of sheet music and records. Although if you were looking for cds that might not be the best place to look at." Rachel's face started to fall as she spoke as if afraid of the answer.

"Actually that sounds perfect to me." Quinn was beyond pleased with her ability to earn such a large smile with such a small sentence and mentally noted that Rachel's smile lit up her whole face.

Quinn gathered up her possessions, threw out her _definitely_ now cold coffee and without really thinking held out her hand for Rachel. "Ready to go then?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

The girls spent the better part of the afternoon sifting through racks and racks of sheet music, asking each other for opinions and trading suggestions. Quinn tried to keep the conversation focused on Rachel and the other girl seemed overjoyed to have someone's attention so singularly directed at her. Rachel spoke extensively of her love of Broadway, and blushed furiously when Quinn chuckled at her enthusiasm.

After three hours of music discussion Quinn could no longer brush off Rachel's insistence that she return to her friends that were most likely missing her by now and wondering what had happened to the blonde. Quinn, unwilling to give Rachel a reason to distrust her, agreed that she should be on her way.

Before parting ways outside the store though Quinn ripped a piece of paper out of her Moleskine, wrote her phone number down and handed it to Rachel who in turn tore a corner off the sheet, scribbled her own number on it and pressed it back into Quinn's hand.

Once her back was turned Quinn released a breath so deep she felt like she must have been holding it the entire afternoon and tucked the number securely into her wallet where she was sure nothing could happen to it.


	5. Chapter 5

_A.N. Just realized there were some formatting issues. Sorry first fic, still working out the kinks._

Chapter Five

Wanting more to report than _'I got her number'_ if Jesse asked after practice on Monday, Quinn took out her phone Sunday afternoon and typed out a quick message to Rachel.

_New Message to Rachel Berry: I still think your voice would be perfect for __Need You Now__. You just need to find a good male vocalist to compliment you._

Quinn had insisted Rachel buy the music the day before despite multiple protests from. When Rachel had tried to argue that the other girl had never even heard her sing and therefore couldn't possibly know what songs fit her voice, Quinn just argued back that she could just tell those things. It was a skill.

_Incoming Message: Has anyone every told you that you are incredibly stubborn?_

_Reply to Rachel: You just can't admit that I'm right can you? ;)_

_Incoming Message: eyeroll_

It struck Quinn how easy it was to banter back and forth with Rachel, much easier than any of the guys she had tolerated dating in the past and even easier than some of her Vocal Adrenaline teammates.

_Reply to Rachel: Has anyone ever told _you _that you're adorable when you are frustrated?_

Quinn hit send before she had the opportunity to second guess herself. The goal wasn't just to buddy up to Rachel. That wasn't going to help her team in the long run, and time was flying by already.

Rachel's reply took longer than the previous ones and Quinn started to worry she had pushed her luck

_Incoming Message: Actually you would be the first. Most people find me annoying and although no one has ever said outright I'm fairly certain mildly abrasive. _

_Reply to Rachel: Their loss._

* * *

Quinn practically skipped into practice that Monday afternoon, beyond excited by the forward movement she had made and eager to wipe the disappointed frown off of Jesse's face. Santana regarded her with narrowed eyes as Quinn took her usual seat next to her.

"What's with you blondie? Someone drug your afternoon coffee?"

"What? No. But I told you I didn't need help with my _assignment_. Things are progressing quite quickly without your help."

That got a reaction out of Santana. Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open momentarily before she seemed to catch herself and school her expression into one of standard indifference.

"Why Quinn Fabray! Did little miss Christian Chastity club get herself laid?"

"What! Oh my god Santana, no! Not everyone sleeps with people they hardly know."

"Oh… I thought our little girl was all grown up. Didn't you say you actually made _progress? _Never mind then; this conversation is boring me now."

And with that she turned her attention back to Brittany who was discussing the pros and cons of leg warmers with Kurt.

Quinn, who was used to Santana's highly promiscuous behavior and never considered it the norm, couldn't help but wonder if things actually weren't moving as quick as she thought. She _had_ only met Rachel a little over a week before, but then again at this point they had only hung out once and texted each other a couple of times.

Suddenly Quinn wasn't quite as eager to share her update with Jesse and slipped out of the auditorium as soon as rehearsal finished for the day.

* * *

That evening Quinn sat cross-legged on her bed with her phone in front her for a solid five minutes just staring at it. She grabbed her phone, climbed off her bed, walked over to her door and checked that it was locked even though she was sure she had locked it when she entered to room.

She walked back over to her bed and sat on the edge of it. A minute later she started to get up again, but decided against it.

'_This is absurd. It's just a phone call and she is just a girl. I can do this.'_

Afraid of giving herself the opportunity to chicken out – Fabrays never backed down from a challenge – she found Rachel's name, closed her eyes and hit SEND as quickly as possible.

Fortunately Rachel answered on the first ring, not giving Quinn the chance to change her mind and hang up.

"Hello?"

"Rachel… hi…. its Quinn."

"Quinn. Hello. How are you this fine evening?"

"Fine, I'm fine." Quinn was sure the butterflies in her stomach were trying to escape from all the fluttering around they were doing. She had intended to engage in some small talk first but before she even knew what was happening she heard herself saying, "Listen, I was wondering if you wanted to get dinner with me this week? Maybe Thursday?"

"I would love to accept your dinner invitation however on one condition. I insist that we meet somewhere in the middle. I absolutely refuse to let you drive all this way on a weeknight. Honestly I don't know how you keep up with your school work considering all the driving you do back and forth to Lima visiting your friends."

Quinn couldn't help but chuckle at the other girl's ability to turn a yes or no question into a speech.

"Honestly its not that far of a drive and I really don't mind.

"That's my condition, take it or leave it."

"Who's the stubborn one now, huh?"

Quinn could hear the exasperation in Rachel's sigh through the phone and was sure it was accompanied by an eye-roll that would have given Santana Lopez a run for her money.

"I accept your condition. And I promise to find a vegan friendly restaurant that meets the requested criteria."

"Are you making fun of me?" The hesitance in Rachel's voice made Quinn pause.

"Maybe a little. But I promise it's only because your rants are kind of cute."

"Oh….. Okay. Well then Quinn Fabray, I will see you Thursday."

"See you then, Rachel."

Quinn watched three YouTube videos that night. After all, she had a date to study for.

* * *

Quinn was very certain she had researched each and every vegan restaurant in between Akron and Lima but in the end she settled on a Thai food place in Mansfield that had pretty good reviews online and satisfied all distance requirements Rachel set.

By Thursday afternoon she was so nervous she would blow the whole plan she was essentially hiding from Jesse. The speed at which she was leaving rehearsals each night even caught Brittany's attention.

"Quinn, are you mad at us for something? You haven't walked to the parking lot after practice with us all week and whenever I try to talk to you during the day you don't seem like you are even paying attention."

"No Brit, I'm sorry. I'm just a little distracted lately."

"Still plotting how to get into that Berry girl's panties?" Santana queried with all the subtlety of a blow to the head.

"San I'm _not_ trying to sleep with her. I just need her to fall for me."

"And those are different things how?"

"Don't listen to her Quinn. Santana just wants everyone to _think_ she is always thinking about sex. Well actually maybe she really is. Never mind."

"Q the offer still stands. If you want any advice, Britts and I are here for you. A few tips from us on some mind blowing sex and that girl will be putty in your hands. Not to mention you might be able to relax a little and stop looking like you are gonna hurl every five minutes."

"Guys really, I'm fine. I just need to get out of here early and get ready. And Santana for the last time, not everyone uses sex to get what they want."

* * *

Quinn arrived at the restaurant early, as planned. She wanted to make sure they had a table in a quiet enough area that they could talk and she could impress Rachel with all of the knowledge she had gained over the past few weeks. All of that research could not go to waste.

She had just settled into what she deemed was the perfect seat and was smoothing out the folds of her green Anthropologie dress – picked to bring out her eyes – when Rachel walked through the door.

All of the times she had "run into" Rachel in the past, the other girl had been dressed comfortably and for the weather. Quinn couldn't help but notice that when Rachel had made much more of an effort for their 'date'. She wore a short navy dress that showed off her surprisingly long legs, her hair was down with soft curls falling over her shoulders and her makeup was subtle and natural but done to bring out her more striking features.

Quinn swallowed hard as Rachel made her way over to the table and got stuck between standing up to great her and not, when she couldn't decide which was more appropriate. The grin on Rachel's face though as she sat down told Quinn that it probably didn't matter what she did the rest of the evening; she had already won.

The girls exchanged pleasantries and discussed the town and restaurant as they decided what to order. The conversation continued easily throughout dinner as Quinn was careful to keep it on topics that she knew Rachel enjoyed, and the other girl seemed beyond pleased just to have someone listen to her opinion on the various Broadway ingénues, her favorite musicals and the merits of vegan dishes.

Whenever Quinn was able to drop in some of her recently gained knowledge on the topics Rachel just beamed back at her even harder after some initial moments that seemed to convey shock that Quinn even knew what Rachel had been babbling on about.

"Honestly most people like them best in those roles just because they originated them in the workshops andon Broadway but there is something more about their portrayal of Elphaba and Galinda that makes them my favorites in the roles." Rachel was gesturing wildly at this point and Quinn wondered if she had actually met someone more passionate about music than herself.

"No I completely agree. They had a palpable chemistry that the other actresses just could not recreate or even compete with."

Rachel sat blinking at Quinn for a few moments. It was one of the first statements Quinn had been able to interject into the conversation since they started talking about musicals. But, once Rachel got talking there was definitely no stopping her and her penchant for speaking in paragraphs rather than sentences made it that much more difficult.

Rachel rallied quickly though as she seemed to get over the surprise of having someone other than herself being interested in musicals.

"No. I mean yes. I completely agree. They almost made Fiyero obsolete."

"Mhmm. I think you are right. He was more of a plot device than an actual character."

"I'm sorry. I have a tendency to get carried away once I start talking about Broadway. My fathers and I have a rule that we are only allowed to discuss it for half an hour at a time, otherwise we sometimes end up arguing the entire evening."

"Well since we aren't arguing is it safe to continue? Or would you like to talk about something else?"

"Why don't you tell me something about yourself, Quinn. I feel like I don't really know anything about you."

* * *

Quinn was able to redirect the conversation back to Rachel rather quickly and by the time she glanced at her watch she realized they had already been talking for three hours.

"Oh wow, I should probably be getting home." Quinn looked up and noticed Rachel was also looking at her watch. "I don't want my dads to worry."

"Sure yeah. I should probably get home too. School tomorrow and all."

The girls argued for ten more minutes about paying the check. Quinn insisted on paying the whole thing which Rachel adamantly refused to let her do. She finally won, with the argument that she had done the inviting and if Rachel wanted to pay she was going to have to ask Quinn to dinner sometime.

Quinn walked with Rachel through the parking lot to her car to say goodbye. Her heart was pounding in her chest so hard she swore she was having some sort of cardiac event. When they reached Rachel's car and the shorter girl turned to face her Quinn forced herself to stop thinking so much, closed her eyes and seized the opportunity.

Their lips connected for a few short seconds before Rachel abruptly pulled away. Quinn cringed and slowly opened her eyes, fully expecting a look of horror to be gracing Rachel's face. She was mildly relieved to find the other girl looked more shocked than horrified, but only mildly.

"God Rachel. I'm so sorry. I don't know what I was thinking, I mean I do, but I just thought you were thinking the same thing too. And now I just feel like an idiot." Quinn couldn't quell the words spilling out of her mouth. She had let Santana's mocking get to her and moved too fast and now she was going to fail. She was going to fail and have to tell Jesse she blew it; she had let her team down. It was on her to bring them their 9th National title and she had ruined it.

Shaking her head at her own stupidity she started to back away from Rachel, eyes downcast. She didn't stop her mental berating until she felt a warm hand brush against and then grasp her own. She flicked her eyes up to meet Rachel's expecting disgust, pity, anger. She didn't expect the soft smile that was directed at her. And she really didn't expect Rachel to step towards her, raise herself up on her toes and kiss her firm and surely on the lips.


	6. Chapter 6

_A.N. – Sorry this chapter took so long, I was on vacation with very little time to write. Hope it is worth the wait._

Chapter Six

When Jesse finally cornered Quinn after practice Friday she was full of confidence. She had recounted the details of her date to Brittany and Santana earlier and even Santana seemed mildly impressed with the fact that Quinn had actually kissed a girl. Quinn tried to contain her anger at their apparently lack of faith in her abilities. In the end she just decided that it was an even greater accomplishment given no one thought she could do it.

"Quinn, do you have a minute or were you planning on rushing out of here again today?"

"I… I really don't know what you mean. Of course I have time to talk. In fact I have updates for you."

"I would rather we talk about this in my office if you don't mind."

"Sure."

Once inside Quinn deposited herself in a chair while Jesse took his seat behind the desk.

"So you said you had updates?"

"Yes I think things are progressing quite well on my assignment. If the date we went on last night is anything to go by, Rachel is definitely falling for me," Quinn stated something that she was sure must be pride, swelling in her chest despite feeling rather different from times before.

Jesse just sat at his desk staring at her for a long time. It was starting to make her slightly uncomfortable. She had expected him to be excited or congratulatory or well, at least hopeful. Instead he was stoic as he watched her like he was studying her.

Quinn was used to scrutiny, especially from her superiors, but even she was starting to grow tired of the staring. Just as she opened her mouth to say something that would most likely get her in trouble, Jesse got up and walked around his desk.

"Quinn, I think this might have been a mistake. I may have overestimated you. I just can't have you do this if you are going to fall in love with her."

"You have got to be kidding me. I am absolutely not going to fall for her." Quinn scoffed out, suddenly defensive as her anger returned.

"I'm not stupid. You may have been hiding from me for most of the week but I've been watching you. I thought you could do this without developing feelings for her but now I'm not sure."

"This is absurd. I'm doing us a favor."

"You are not helping." Jesse was looking at her with something like pity and Quinn's anger was threatening to boil over.

"I won't fall in love with her." Quinn insisted, trying to convey as much certainty as possible in her voice.

Jess appeared to think things over for a minute as they fell into silence again. Quinn tried to take as many calming breaths as possible; she had to keep a level head.

"Fine. Okay. I'll make you a deal. You have until Regionals to prove to me you can do this and keep it under control or I'm pulling you."

Quinn breathed out a sigh of relief she hadn't realized she was holding and nodded at Jesse.

"I swear to you, I can do this."

* * *

'_Or I'm pulling you.' _The words followed Quinn the rest of the day. She couldn't escape the feeling that Jesse had planned to pull her from more than just the assignment. She stood to lose so much if this plan failed. Sure even as a junior, half of her classes we college level and she was still on Honor Roll but if she wanted to get into Yale she was going to need something more, something that made her stand out from every other high school student with an excellent GPA. Leading her team to another national championship was supposed to be that thing.

She needed this. She could not be pulled.

Quinn had locked herself in her bedroom most of the night. She was just too much of a nervous wreck to deal with anyone. Texts from Brittany and Santana went unanswered, but when her screen lit up with _New Text Message from Rachel _she couldn't ignore her phone any longer.

_Incoming Message: Hello Quinn. I was just inquiring to see how your day was._

_Reply to Rachel: Its getting better now ;) How was yours?_

_Incoming Message: Mine went exceptionally well thank you. Tina (one of my teammates) actually thought there was something wrong because I was apparently more energetic than usual. And that is quite the feat._

_Reply to Rachel: Interesting. And was there any particular reason you would have been in a good mood today?_

_Incoming Message: I'm not sure. It could be leftover excitement from what I am now aware was a _date_ last night._

_Reply to Rachel: A date huh? How was it?_

_Incoming Message: In my humble opinion I would say nothing short of great. However I cannot speak for the other party._

_Reply to Rachel: Yes that is tricky. Although in a strange coincidence I too went on a remarkable date last night._

_Incoming Message: That IS a coincidence._

Quinn hadn't done much flirting previously since she never really saw the point – unless she was trying to get something out of someone. But she couldn't help but think she had been missing out. This was fun.

_Reply to Rachel: So I'm sure you are very busy and important, but I was wondering if you had plans for this weekend._

_Incoming Message: Well I was planning on sitting around waiting to see if a certain someone would ask me out again. I can try and squeeze you in but I can't make any promises._

_Reply to Rachel: Thanks I appreciate that. Do you think you could pencil me in tomorrow sometime?_

_Incoming Message: Hmmm… I'm looking. There is a small opening that I could probably fit you in. How does 7:00 work for you?_

_Reply to Rachel: Well since your schedule is so busy I better take it. Who knows when there will be another opening._

_Incoming Message: Done._

_Reply to Rachel: Okay, see you then._

* * *

Quinn fidgeted nervously willing her body to get out of her car and walk up the sidewalk that lead to the Berry house front door, nothing happened though. She didn't know why this was bothering her so much. Yes this would be considered their first date – one where both parties went into it knowing it was a date – and yes she had insisted on picking Rachel up at her house to solidify that fact. But what bothered Quinn the most is that it wasn't really a date. At least not for her. She was faking that part; therefore she should not be so nervous. Maybe it was guilt.

Quinn tried once again to exit the car. This time she got the door open and it stayed open. That was progress. '_Okay one foot out, and now the other. Perfect.'_

The walk up the path could not have gone faster though and before she knew it she was standing on Rachel's porch hand poised, ready to ring the bell. One more steadying breath and she pushed forward.

Quinn could hear the muffled sounds of people talking inside the house. She was pretty sure she could hear Rachel yelling though. And then the door was swung open in front of her and two men stood standing in the entry way smiling at her. She almost bolted right then and there.

"Good evening Quinn. Its so nice to see you again."

"Nice to see you again too sir."

"Please call me Hiram. And this is my husband Leroy." The other man held his hand out to shake Quinn's and she was sure there was no subtle way to wipe the sweat off her palm before she accepted.

Just then Rachel came bounding down the stairs behind them.

"I _told_ you I would get the door dads."

"What and make Quinn stand outside even longer than you already had. Besides I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to catch up with the young lady."

Rachel rolled her eyes but it seemed in jest because then she reached up and gave both of her fathers a hug and kiss of the cheek before declaring it was time to leave.

"But we didn't even get to use our Good Dad, Bad Dad routine on her sweetie." Leroy teased.

Quinn was relieved more than she could express. The last thing she needed was to be grilled by not one but two fathers and accidentally spill what her intentions with their daughter really were.

'_Well Mr and Mr Berry, I plan to charm my way into your daughter's heart only to break it when the time is perfect in the hopes that it will seal my teams victory. And if I get to make out with her more in the meantime so-be-it.' _

Quinn froze. _'Wait… where did that last part come from?'_

When she came back to her senses she realized she had walked Rachel to her car and was currently opening the passenger side door. Apparently she was a gentleman/woman even without trying, and that seemed to impress Rachel so she decided it was a very good thing.

* * *

Rachel didn't seem to mind Quinn's more quiet moments as she just filled them up. The entire ride to the restaurant and through dinner Rachel chatted away about various topics but mostly Glee Club. Quinn got the run down on all of the members of New Directions: Rachel, Mercedes Jones, Tina Cohen-Chang (Quinn wondering if she was related to the Mike Chang on Vocal Adrenaline), Artie Abrams (who Rachel seemed especially frustrated with the fact that he was in a wheel chair which apparently threw off the choreography in their routines), Noah Puckerman, Finn Hudson and their newest members Blaine Anderson (a transfer from Dalton Academy) and Sugar Motta (who's antics reminded her of a cross between Santana and Brittany).

By the time they got to the theater Quinn was sure she could double as a spy with all the information she had just gathered about the other team. Quinn had found a little art house theater not far from Lima that was showing Notorious, one of her favorites, although she could definitely see the irony of taking Rachel to see it.

When Rachel was still talking as they took their seats Quinn began to fear the other girl was going to talk through the movie too and she wondered if she should start plotting ways to shut the girl up. Fortunately it didn't come to that; once the lights dimmed Rachel quieted immediately and in what Quinn was sure was supposed to be a subtle gesture, leaned in closer to her. Quinn sort of liked it, not that she would ever admit it though.

Sometime in the middle of the movie Quinn went to put her arm on the arm rest between herself and Rachel not realizing it was already occupied with Rachel's arm. At first Rachel didn't seem to notice or move but then Quinn felt the twitch of Rachel's hand beside hers. The brief moment of contact felt so nice that she decided to just go with it and reached over to grasp Rachel's small hand in her own. After that Rachel leaned into her more fully, all subtlety lost.

* * *

"So… what did you think?" Quinn asked as the two girls walked out of the theater.

"Oh Quinn, I loved it. It was such a tortured love story. Both of them hiding their feelings. Can you imagine?"

"No definitely not."

And then Rachel was off again. She continued to talk about the movie as they walked down the street to where Quinn had parked earlier. After opening Rachel's door for her, she walked around and let herself in also, and all the while Rachel gave her opinions on the movie, the actors and the director. Once settled, Quinn returned her full attention to Rachel as she had only be catching bits and pieces before.

At this point, Rachel had started listing her favorite Alfred Hitchcock movies in order and while Quinn would usually be more than happy to debate the list she was also by nature a quiet person, frequently living in her head and books. It occurred to her how being with someone that talked as much as Rachel would jeopardize that quiet, contemplative time.

Going to see classic or foreign films was usually an activity Quinn performed alone and while she did love being able to share that with someone she also was accustomed to spending the drive home thinking over the movie, reliving her favorite parts and reveling in the intrigue and mystique of past eras or cultures. Rachel's enthusiasm, while appreciated, was not going to allow that to happen, especially in the small space of the car where her voice seemed that much louder.

Quinn realized all at once that she needed some quiet time soon; she had spent the entire evening listening to Rachel talk, a lot! It was becoming overwhelming quickly and she had a tendency to lash out when put in uncomfortable situations – Jacob Ben Israel could more than attest to that. Not wanting to lash out at Rachel and scare the girl, she racked her brain for some other solution feeling her blood race as she did.

The idea struck her so quickly she didn't even have time to think it though, and before she knew it she had hooked one hand behind Rachel's neck and pulled her towards her for a searing kiss. All of the energy that was usually directed at whoever had provoked her was instead channeled into pulling Rachel as close as the car would allow.

When the need for air became too great, Quinn pulled away ever so slightly and looked at Rachel to gauge her reaction to the somewhat aggressive gesture.

Rachel sat in the passenger's seat, mouth slightly parted, staring wide eyed at Quinn, but didn't make a sound.

'_Well that certainly shut her up,' _she thought a smirk settling on her lips.

Whatever it was, either the smirk or just given enough time to gather her bearings, Rachel seemed to come out of her trance and immediately dove across the seat fastening her lips to Quinn's again.

While at first just as intense as the last, this kiss allowed the two girls to find their rhythm and once the passion decreased marginally they were left with the chance to explore each other more fully.

The first thing Quinn noticed was how soft Rachel's lips were. In fact she was surprised by her apparent lack of acknowledgement of this sooner because Rachel's lips felt as soft as silk against hers, pliable yet supple and tasted like cherry from the Icee Quinn had bought her. Quinn found them to be all around quite addicting.

Rachel gasped out when Quinn took a playful nip at her bottom lip and Quinn seized the opportunity to slip her tongue past the barrier of the other girl's lips. The sensation was unlike anything she had ever felt before. The cursory pecks she had given boys in the past hadn't prepared her for this.

At some point Quinn had snaked her armed around Rachel's waist to hold her closer still. However, Rachel had chosen a different route and reached up to lace her fingers in the short, soft hair at the base of Quinn's neck.

Seeming to gain confidence as they continued, Rachel swept her tongue over Quinn's earning a strangled moan from her that Rachel must have appreciated because in return she flexed the hand tangled in Quinn's hair and scratched the base of her neck with blunt finger nails.

'_Good GOD that feels amazing!'_

Finally after several more minutes of trying to get as close as humanly possible – given a center console between them – Quinn broke the kiss, feeling light headed, most likely from the lack of oxygen.

"Wow Rachel, you are amazing at that."

"Really? I wasn't sure; I mean, I've never really made out with anyone before."

"Yeah… just…. Yeah. So good," Quinn breathed out airily.

The beaming smile Rachel gave her made Quinn feel almost as good as the past several minutes.


End file.
